Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Exedy Corporation

Mita Industries Co., Ltd.

Yasuhiro Hashimoto

Yuji Yamashita

Jiro Nagira

Hiroshige Utatsu

Masahiro Sako

Fumio Aizawa

Hiroyuki Inenaka

Masanobu Takahashi

Katsunori Masai

Hideaki Tomita

Haruna Sasakuma

An image forming apparatus is disclosed, in which the index data of a document data is detected, and based on the particular index data, the contents of each index are displayed. Based on this display, an index is selected and the portion of the document data corresponding to the selected index is printed.

Image forming apparatus for detecting index data of document data, and control method and program product for the same

In order to print a marked-up region in a color appropriate for printing, a MFP includes a communicating portion to which print data is input, a marked-up region extract portion for extracting a marked-up region from the print data, a marked-up region converter for converting a color of the extracted marked-up region to a conversion color appropriate for printing, and a printer for printing the marked-up region extracted from the print data in the conversion color.

Image generating apparatus, image processing apparatus, program product and method for printing marked-up print data in color appropriate for printing

In the image forming apparatus, upon reception of a job containing a file to be printed, it is determined whether or not the job contains a template indicating that a plurality of files are to be merged. If it is determined that the job contains the template, then the job is stored in a storage section. Based on the template, it is analyzed whether or not all jobs containing files to be merged have been stored in the storage section. If it is determined that all the jobs have been stored in the storage section, then control is exerted based on the template so as to merge and print the files contained in all the jobs. Thus, a plurality of files can be automatically merged and printed, and therefore the workload on the user can be reduced.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method and image forming system for receiving and executing plurality of print jobs

A network management program is executed in a managing device for managing network which includes multiple devices to be managed and plural managing devices. The network management program comprises computer instructions for exchanging management information between said plural managing devices, judging in accordance with said exchanged management information whether said plural managing devices are performing duplicative management with respect to the same managed device or not, and making only one of said plural managing devices manage said device duplicatively managed. The network management servers (managing devices) comprising computers operates in accordance with the network management program installed in memory on both computers so as to prevent dupulicative management of the multiple devices to be managed belonging to the network.

Network management program, network management system and network management apparatus

In a system in which a host computer performs lifetime management for components of a plurality of copiers, components whose lifetimes are to be managed can be freely selected copier by copier and, as a result, warning reports can be transmitted with a reduced number of communication sessions. The copiers are each equipped with a device for management, so that counting can be performed for their individual components and interlock counts for such counting can be freely specified. The host computer compares a count received through communication with a threshold value to issue a report within the host computer. Within one copier, during a period after a component PM call is issued and before a component is replaced, even if another component becomes a target of a component PM call, the component PM call is not issued. When a component replacement report is received, a report of a component PM call is automatically deleted from an urgency report list. A component whose component PM call has been exceeded is indicated with a mark requesting replacement.

Equipment management system that issues a warning when the lifetime of a

In a management system in which a plurality of copiers are managed by a host computer, each copier is provided with a device that is connected to the host computer so as to manage the copier. The device can be initialized from the copier without advance registration in the host computer. To achieve this, when a serviceperson, having set up the copier, enters a registration code and executes initialization, the device communicates with the host computer and transmits thereto an initialization report. On receiving the initialization report, the host computer creates a database, and subsequently sets the device using predetermined values in the database and assigns thereto a copier ID number. When communication has been completed without errors, the device returns the copier ID number to the copier. To register the copier, an operator of the host computer opens a screen of a list of non-registered pieces of equipment to be managed in order to select and register the corresponding copier on that screen. Thus, a database is made ready for use in the host computer.

Equipment management system

A terminal device management system includes a plurality of terminal devices and a remote management apparatus for remotely managing the plurality of terminal devices. The remote management apparatus includes a data receiving section, a management table storing section for storing a management table including identifiers for the terminal devices which are set to transmit data in a transmission time interval for identifying whether data has been Bent from the terminal devices or not, a timer section for measuring a time period during which a line is not connected in the transmission time interval, and a control section for detecting whether or not the time period measured by the timer section reaches a predetermined time period, and for, when it is detected that the predetermined time period is reached, detecting a terminal device the identifier of which in the management table stored in the management table storing section indicates data has not been received therefrom, as a failed terminal device.

Terminal device management system and a method for detecting a failed

In a maintenance management system in which communications control devices of electronic photocopiers are connected through public telephone lines or the like with a host computer of a maintenance company that manages the photocopiers, preventive-maintenance-oriented, omission-free instructions for maintenance work are obtained by determining items of work to be performed based on how many times maintenance has been performed or based on a count of copies produced. For example, in the case where maintenance work to be performed on a first occasion includes items of work belonging to a work item setting area of a second order of precedence within a maintenance table, if items of work that need to be performed do not agree with those specified in the table, items of work of a first order of precedence are added. To achieve this, based on a count at a moment, a work item setting area in the maintenance table is judged to determine its array number, a maintenance state flag is judged, and the array number is incremented by one, so that instructions of the second order of precedence are indicated. Then, the array number of the area is decremented by one, and the flag is judged to be OFF, so that items of work of first order are added to those of the second order. Next, duplicated items within the same area are deleted, whether replacement is necessary or not is judged, and then it is determined that maintenance on the next occasion includes items of work of the first and second orders of precedence.

Maintenance management system for image forming equipment

A device for management is attached to a copier, and the device for management is connected to a host computer at a management center via a telephone line. In a database of the host computer are provided a field for calculating an MCBJ since resetting or in a predetermined period, and a field for calculating a total MCBJ of copiers of a same model. Based on comparison between results obtained in these two fields, a warning is issued. Moreover, an MCBJ of a copier in a predetermined period is retained in the database for three consecutive such periods, so that a trend of the MCBJ of the copier is traced. A rising tendency of the MCBJ is judged from a combination of two trend-indicating values, one comparing an MCBJ two periods before with a current MCBJ and the other comparing the MCBJ two periods before with an MCBJ one period before. If the rising tendency exceeds a predetermined factor, a warning is issued.

Copier management system

In a management system in which electronic photocopiers are linked through a network with a host computer at a maintenance company that manages the photocopiers and with another host computer at a lease company that performs charging and other tasks related to the use of the photocopiers, registration to the latter host computer and setting thereupon of transmission times of periodical reports can be performed without any inconvenience. Data including the ID number of a copier and the code of the maintenance company are transmitted from a communications control device provided in the copier to the host computer of the lease company. This host computer, when the received ID number and code have not been registered, puts the ID number and code on a list of unregistered copiers, and makes the device transmit data every day until the copier is registered. When the copier is registered, the host computer erases the ID number of the copier and the code of the maintenance company from the list of unregistered copiers. Thus, the lease company's failure to register a copier can be readily detected, so that a lease contract can be fulfilled without delay.

In the host computer of a multiple photocopier management system, a maintenance supervising system is provided for supervising maintenance job contents on routinely serviced photocopier components. Stored in the host computer RAM are maintenance tables for retaining in routine maintenance sequences job items for periodic maintenance on the photocopier components. After completing routine maintenance on a photocopier, a service engineer inputs maintenance reporting data which is accepted in job store areas of the RAM. The maintenance reporting data categorizes a maintenance job, in particular as to whether a component has been repaired, and indicates actual job content, component-by-component. The routine maintenance sequences each constitute an order of ranking numbers each assigned to a job item, and the rank order in the sequence is updated according to the ranking number corresponding to the content of the reported job. Based on the maintenance reporting data accepted by the RAM, and on the updated job rank orders in the routine maintenance sequences, the host computer sets job items component-by-component for the next-scheduled routine maintenance from the job items stored in the maintenance tables. The job items for the work due component-by-component in the next scheduled routine maintenance are accordingly displayed.

Maintenance supervising system for an image-reproducing system

An imaging device supervision system stores data indicating, for instance, the number of sheets of paper supplied from each paper supply cassette in a copying machine, and/or the number of times the toner has been replenished, and the amount of toner cartridges in stock are stored in a copying machine supervision data base which is constructed, stored and maintained in a storage device, such as a hard drive. The supervision system updates the stock amounts for each size of paper based on the data indicating the number of sheets of paper supplied, and formulates a consumable item delivery plan according to delivery conditions set in a delivery schedule setting screen 91, to reduce the downtime due to stocks of consumable items being exhausted in an imaging device. Further, the amount of toner cartridges in stock are updated by means of the number of times the toner has been replenished, and the stock data are displayed on a status information screen 66.

Imaging device with stock supervision means

For an image reproducing system provided with an auto-restoration capability, a monitoring system is disclosed involving display by an image reproducing machine of the system in connection with fault diagnosis and auto-restoration processes by the image reproducing machine. The disclosed monitoring system in particular concerns a network of likewise auto-restoring image reproducing machines in communication with a host computer. The image reproducing machine has machine-condition constant-monitoring sensors through which a main controller of the image reproducing machine detects faults causing operational malfunction. A communication device transmits data indicating operational malfunction in an image reproducing machine from its main controller to the host computer. The main controller prepares and executes an auto-restoration process implementing restorative operations to compensate functionally for the detected faults, and interprets as restorative state data success of implemented restorative operations. A restoration process data storage of the image reproducing system stores data identifying an executed auto-restoration process. The restoration process data and the restorative state data are displayed by an image reproducing system display, which display can be by the host computer, as monitored at a remote service station by a service engineer.

Monitoring system in auto-restoring image reproducing system

A management system of image forming apparatuses according to the present invention includes a device for transmitting information about maintenance for each of a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, and transmitting for example, the number of copies from the image forming apparatus to a centralized management apparatus. It further includes a device for determining, on the basis of maintenance information transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the centralized management apparatus, efficient performance of maintenance work, for example, the scheduled date of maintenance work for the image forming apparatus. The above described information about maintenance is related to the operation of the peripheral device. For example, if the peripheral device is an automatic document feeder, information related to efficiently performing maintenance work may be the number of sheets fed by the automatic document feeder, whereas if the peripheral device is a sorter, such information may be the number of sheets fed to the sorter.

Management system of image forming apparatuses

A management system of image forming apparatuses according to the present invention includes devices for transmitting information about maintenance of each of a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, for example, the number of copies from the image forming apparatus to a centralized management apparatus through transmitting devices, and devices for finding, on the basis of the information about maintenance which is transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the centralized management apparatus, information for efficiently performing the maintenance work, for example, the scheduled date of the maintenance work of the image forming apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Yasuhiro Hashimoto